Virgin to take on Tanzania?

February 19, 2013

Earlier this year British Airways made the surprise announcement that they were withdrawing their planes from the Dar Es Salaam route by the end of March. Now it seems like Virgin Atlantic may be being groomed to take their place.

The Tanzania government has been in discussions with Virgin Atlantic about the possibility of the airline taking over the route from British Airways (BA). BA had announced the reason for closing the route was that it was no longer economically viable, but since their statement, Emirates have responded with a clear vote of confidence in the route, by switching planes on their route. They now use the significantly larger B777-300ER – effectively giving them an extra 40% capacity or 1,400 seats a week – on their flights to Dar.

Other airlines with daily flights to Dar Es Salaam, the nearest international airport to the popular Indian Ocean beach resorts of Zanzibar and Pemba, include Qatar and Ethiopian.

Virgin Atlantic recently closed their Nairobi route, after operating that route for the previous five years. Later this year, Sir Richard Branson will open Mahali Mzuri, his new luxury Kenyan safari camp in a private conservancy bordering the Maasai Mara. The camp is part of the growing Virgin Limited Edition Collection of exclusive properties for the luxury travel market.